Liberal Democrats lodge legal challenge on waste incinerator

December 22, 2011 7:56 PM

The Liberal Democrat group has lodged a legal challenge under Gloucestershire county council's constitution after Urbaser Balfour Beatty was selected as the preferred bidder to build a massive waste incinerator at Javelin Park.

The legal challenge known as a 'call-in' will halt the incinerator project until the councillors on the overview and scrutiny management committee can meet to review the process that led to the cabinet decision to progress the waste incinerator project.

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr. Jeremy Hilton said: "The Tory cabinet has ploughed on regardless of public opinion. They will build a massive waste incinerator at Javelin Park. Toxic fly ash is almost certain to be dumped at a landfill site. The stack height of the incinerator will be taller than Gloucester Cathedral and the capacity of the incinerator will be oversize for dealing with the county's household waste. It seems that the incinerator will also be burning waste from out of county and locally produced industrial waste."

Two district councils, Cheltenham & Stroud, who are waste collection authorities, have also passed resolutions calling for the project to be halted until a full open review can take place.

The material distributed to visitors to the recent public exhibition at Javelin Park entitled 'Zero Waste to Landfill' has also been criticised by Liberal Democrats as misleading.

County Councillor Ceri Jones said: "It has been made clear by the bidders that certain by-products of their operations will be sent to landfill - this is certainly not 'Zero Waste to Landfill' as is misleadingly claimed on the cover of the County Council literature. The whole process has been wrapped up in secrecy and misinformation. We have to stop this project."

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